How popular is the baby name Huckleberry in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Huckleberry.
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Country singer Brad Paisley and actress Kimberly Williams have two sons.
The first one, William Huckleberry, was named in part for Huck Finn.
But the second one, Jasper Warren, has a name story I like even more. His middle name comes from Brad’s grandfather, the person “who gave [Brad] his first guitar and encouraged him to pursue a music career.”
Very cool tribute. Reminds me of the story behind Kiefer Sutherland’s first name.
Huckleberries are the small, dark blue berries produced by the North American huckleberry shrub.
For a time, “huckleberry” was also slang for something that was small or humble. This slang definition is likely what Mark Twain has in mind when he chose the character name Huckleberry Finn. According to the book America in So Many Words, Twain said he’d “tacked” the name onto the character because:
‘Huck Finn’ was all that was needed to somehow describe another kind of a boy than ‘Tom Sawyer’ — a boy of lower extraction or degree.
Huckleberry also happens to be the name of professional poker player Huckleberry Seed. Here’s what Huck told The Missoulian about his name:
“That’s my real name,” said Huck. “When I was 7, I asked my dad why he named me what he did. He told me that he figured if I was ever famous – if I were to ever become, say, a famous baseball player – I wouldn’t have to make up a name,” he said smiling.
The name Huckleberry wasn’t common enough to show up in the U.S. baby name data until the early 2000s:
The name has been in use much longer, though. The earliest example I’ve found is Silas Huckleberry Hartwell, born in March 7, 1839, in North Vernon, Indiana. And I’ve got few more from the 1840s. After that, nothing until the late 1870s (post-Tom Sawyer, which was published in 1876).
What do you think of the name?
Image: Adapted from Wild huckleberry by Bruno.karklis under CC BY 4.0.
